The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-03-10
A NAN F A MIN E.
The Womanless Wonderland of
the Northwest.
The Inimitable Pat Donan Follows up
his Valentine to the Girls of Amer
ica, with a Plaintive Appeal to
''Come West, Young Wo-
man, Marry, and grow
up with the Coun-
try"
fNew York SUM-


To THE EDITOR OF The SUN-.Sr :.
Some time in February semi-jocuiar
Dakota valentine, bearing my humble
signature, appeared in the columns of
the New Worlds great illuminater,
the SIN, which shines for all, at two
cents a copy. 1t gently but firmly
set forth the matrimonial needs and
possibilities of the American North
west, and especially of this mighty
young queen of the Territories. 1t
told of the awful scarcity of young
women, and the vast surplusage of
young men; of how the census a few
years ago gave us seventeen and a halt
men to every woman and gi1l, and
how, even now in some regions, the
ratio is four and a half to one.
The fact that this half jestful squib
has brought me, in six or eight weeks.
nearly a thousand letters from young
girls, old maids, and widows, all over
the country, desiring husbands, or sit
uations in a region where husbands are
at least possibility, not only shows
the marvellous potency of the Sun as
an Advertising medium, but it lndi-
Gates an alarming scarcity of eligible
fellows throughout the older States OF
the Union.
"What are we girls to dor" once
said recognized belle of one of the
most aristocratic little Atlantic cities
to me. .sHere there are in the best
society of our city, in my own circle
over two hundred and fifty marriagea
bic girls, many of them, as you know
highly accomplished and attractive
women, fitted to grace any position
and we have not dozen really ellgl
Bile men. We have hosts of beaus, bu
no prospective husbands. Our street
swarm with pleasant young fellows
who do for escorts, dancing partners
and Irritation material; but we hav'
absolutely no men to whom an intel
ligent, spirited, ambitious girl coul'
possibly think of tying herself and he
fortunes. They lack education, indie
pendence, purpose-everything that
necessary to rise. There is no fu!ur
for them, and apparently none for L
but to form an old maid brigade an
start on crusade to some of the IA
| Western Territories, where sterlin
men are said to be plenty and wome
scarce
They did not come crusading to til
West and to-day the lamentation of m
fair friend finds full justification in til
fact that her proud and beautiful o.
city is literally overrun with tho
most estinable but seldom envied
: enviable misfits in the Divine econon
} known as old maids. Go where OF
S will or may throughout the East, fro
;: Boston and Providence to Baltimo1
Richmond, Charleston, and Mob
/, and the same sad condition of thin
+ exists. Every ballroom and parlor WI
is richly tapestried with these slight
faded flowers. The same comp'al
goes up from every city in the lar
:, Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, a
- hundred other municipalities Sc
forth gentle means ofsympathetic w
Plenty of girls, lovely as ever the
shone on, but a panicky lack of des
able young men.
D. Only a short time ago the brig
ty young daughter of an eminent
- Louis LAWYER said to me: "You mo-
n ingly criticise us for encouraging
st attentions of what you con;emptuou
v style 'whipper--snappers,' 'snil
ry sdudes,' and 'callow goslings,' but /
70 can we help it? There are twenty
he these little fellows in society VII
st there is one really desirable man, ;
at if it were not for them we would r
It many an entertainment that We W
LIZ Ito attend, many an opera and p
ow many a set in dancing, that we
we enjoy. But for these very pign
,e- with their sthree-hair power me
I'm taches,' that you speak ofso scornfr
* every girl in St. Louis would be lef
I'VE home half the times she now gets
no and would be wall flower more
Der half the time when she managed te
hIe veigle her father or brother into
ich corting her to parties and receipt
nd You find nae plenty of those bra
ike cultivated, aspiring men with a fui
the that you talk about, and | will
for plenty of girls capable of apprecia
.ry- them, and ready to drop all their
the nue. of spomatumed snips,' for them
dis time. Bring on your real men.
ssh out your thoroughbreds."
and She was only debutante, but
, in you know she had nonplussed me
this told over all the masculine beat
ofl my society rosary; took light
.,lc,l,tor inventory of all nv trot